Community Shares nonprofit fundraiser collects record amount of donations

Community CHIP, a fundraising partnership between Community Shares of Wisconsin and Willy Street Co-op’s east and west locations, has raised a record-setting $180,000 to support local nonprofits.

The amount exceeded expectations by about $40,000 and surpassed last year’s total donations of about $119,000.

Donations for Community CHIP rely on small contributions from shoppers at Willy Street Co-op’s east and west locations and go to support Community Shares’ 63 member nonprofits in addition to the organization’s own projects and programs.

“The partnership between Community Shares and Willy Street Co-op and CHIP is such a wonderful example of what can happen when everyone gives a little bit and when we all work together,” Executive Director of Community Shares of Wisconsin Crystel Anders said.

As many nonprofits face funding challenges, the extra money collected from Community CHIP provides valuable funds nonprofits can use flexibly, Anders said.

To collect the donations, cashiers at the Co-op ask shoppers if they would like to add a one percent donation to their total grocery bill. Each shopper who chooses to “CHIP” adds her small contribution to the total donations for the year.

“CHIPing is such an easy thing to do,” Anders said. “The money just adds up over time with so many shoppers helping out.”

This year’s increase in donations is likely due to the first full year of the new Willy Street Co-op-West’s opening in Middleton, Director of Communications at Willy Street Co-op Brendon Smith said.

The new location provides many more customers the option to CHIP, and those customers are often willing to help out local organizations, he said.

“Our shoppers are people interested in sustainable food and the environment and so their concerns are in line with a lot of the projects and goals of member organizations for Community CHIP,” Smith said.  

For more information about Community CHIP visit Community Shares or read this article.